'hard to be hip over thirty'

My favourite bookshop this side of town is the Save the Children on Levenshulme high street. They've always got such a strange selection of paperbacks, and everything costs £1.29. I was in the other day and came across a poetry collection I've meant to pick up for a while. It's a Persephone reprint of Judith Viort's 1968 collection, 'It's hard to be hip over thirty.'

It's as pithy and funny as I expected it to be, from reading about it in the Persephone Quarterly, but the real surprise, once I opened it up at home, was the photograph I found inside. It's a proper Found Photo, and here it is - above. Just look at that spaniel's sidelong glance at the photographer. It's the wearily tolerant expression of someone forced into company with silly, annoying relatives for the day. It looks as if these three are off for a day out somewhere. The one of the left looks particularly keen. I love finds like this.

In other news - I'm still enjoying the novels I'm reviewing, and even more, 'Espresso Shot', the seventh in the 'Coffeehouse Mystery' series by Cleo Coyle. Lovely to read something that's pure pleasure - after I had to struggle to finish the worthy, issue-heavy Tom Perrotta novel, 'The Abstinence Teacher' for Book Club this week. (The whole group was disappointed with that, I think. He brings up some lovely, chewy ideas and gets the reader all riled up about religious intolerance, hypocrisy and the ludicrous rise of the far right in public institutions in the States - and then turns it into a sappy romance which doesn't even go anywhere. The novel should really have begun - not ended - where it ended.)

TV - loved the first two episodes of Glee. On vintage boxset watching I'm still going through 'Tales of the Unexpected', 'Fraisier' and 'Robin's Nest.' And, of course, 'Celebrity Big Brother' gets my full attention each night. I still find myself having to explain to tv-snobs, culture-snobs and just plan snob-snobs why I find BB so compelling. Don't know why. It's just about being fascinated by people and behaviour, isn't it? It's like a living, day-by-day novel. Beautifully made and put together. I'm enjoying Stephanie Beacham and Vinnie Jones. One episode this week ended with them calling a flighty, silly, flirty housemate an orchid - rootless, pretty, taking what she needs to get by from her environment. It was a lovely scene, with them kicking this metaphor around.

I'd love to see a remake of The Avengers with Vinnie Jones and Stephanie Beacham as John Steed and Mrs Peel. That would be perfect. In fact, I can't believe it hasn't already happened.

I noticed that they're releasing the Avengers on dvd again in a pretty handsome set. What's happening with the rights, anyway? Is anyone going to have another go after they royally arsed the movie up? Surely ITV should be making a Saturday night version for the months that Doctor Who and Primeval aren't showing? Anyway - you heard the suggestion here first. Vinnie and Steph for leads.